Pallet

ABSTRACT

A lift truck pallet is provided with rotatable load supporting means for transferring a load from the pallet in a direction lateral to the direction of insertion of forks therein. The preferred rotatable load supporting means is in the form of rotatable rollers having axes substantially parallel to the direction in which the forks are received in the pallet, and drive means may be provided to rotate the rollers to transfer the load from the pallet to a space located laterally of and adjacent to the pallet.

United States Patent 1191 Du Puis et al.

[ Apr. 10, 1973 PALLET [51] Int. Cl. ..B66f 9/12 [58] Field of Search..214/620; 108/51 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1952Stewart ...214/620X 5/1970 MerittetaL... ..214/620 3,292,804 12/1966Veneman ..214/620 X Primary Examiner-Robert J. Spar Attomey-Fitch, Even,Tabin & Luedeka [57] ABSTRACT A lift truck pallet is provided withrotatable load supporting means for transferring a load from the palletin a direction lateral to the direction of insertion of forks therein.The preferred rotatable load supporting means is in the form ofrotatable rollers having axes substantially parallel to the direction inwhich the forks are received in the pallet, and drive means may beprovided to rotate the rollers to transfer the load from the pallet to aspace located laterally of and adjacent to the pallet.

3Claims,3DrawingFigures PATENTEUAPRImm A I $726,424

FIG!

\NVENTO Q5 ATTY5.

PALLET The present invention relates to pallets for supporting loadsand, more particularly, the invention relates to a pallet fortransferring a supported load in a confined area.

A load of merchandise, such as lumber, steel beams, rugs, or otherheavy, elongated articles, is often stacked upon a pallet, which iscarried by a fork lift truck from one location to another. For example,the palletized load may be transported by the truck from a warehouseloading ramp to a designated position in a row of merchandise. It isparticularly desirable to conserve space in the warehouse andaccordingly the rows of stacked merchandise are usually closely spaced.However, normal lift truck operation is made exceedingly difficult asthe trucks cannot maneuver within the aisles between the rows to emplaceor remove merchandise. Heretofore, when the aisles have been too narrowfor the lift trucks to maneuver, manual labor has been employed tohandle the loads or expensive special fork lift trucks and otherequipment have been used which is capable of manipulating the palletizedloads within the aisles such that the loads can be transferred laterallyinto the desired positions in the rows.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved pallet forsupporting and transferring a load.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved pallet adaptedto transfer a supported load in a confined area.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent uponreference to the following detailed description and accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a load being transferred withina confined area;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pallet for supporting and transferringthe load; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the pallet shown in FIG.2.

Very generally, there is illustrated in the drawings a pallet forsupporting and transferring a load 18 comprising a frame 12 and a pairof fork receiving pockets 14 into which may be'inserted forks 19 ofafork lift truck 15. The fork lift truck may travel in a forwarddirection, as indicated by the directional arrow A in FIG. 1 or in adirection reverse thereto. With use of the pallet 10, the load 18 may beshifted laterally, at right angles in this instance, to the direction oftruck movement with turning of rotatable load supporting means,preferably in the form of rollers 16 joumalled for rotation in thepallet frame to turn about axes substantially parallel to the directionof the forks and truck movement. Means may be provided to turn therollers 16 to transfer the load laterally from the pallet, and means maybe provided for detenting the rollers against rotation while the palletand load are being transported.

The illustrated pallet 10 is particularly useful in handling loads inconfined areas. A load 18, such as lumber, steel beams, rugs, poles,etc., is stacked transversely across the pallet and the palletized loadis transported to a location adjacent a row of other merchandise in awarehouse, such as shown in FIG. 1. The load is transferred in a lateraldirection from the pallet into a space in the row. The space illustratedin FIG. 1 is adjacent one side of the pallet and located adjacentanother wall which would limit maneuvering the lift truck. Accordingly,a fork lift truck 15 used to transport the loaded pallet need notmaneuver within an aisle between two parallel rows of merchandise. Thefork lift truck proceeds straight ahead in the aisle and stops slightlybehind the desired location, whereupon the load, which is at the frontof the truck, is transferred laterally from the truck. It shouldfurtherbe appreciated that any standard fork lift type industrial truckcan be employed to transport the pallet of the illustrated embodimentand that no special, relatively expensive equipment need be utilizedeither for transporting the pallet or for unloading it.

The frame 12 of the pallet 10 supports both the pockets 14 which receivethe forks 19 of the lift truck 15 and the rollers 16 which permitlateral transferring of the load. The frame 12 is of rigid constructionso as to receive and carry a heavy load 18, such as steel beams orlumber, without buckling. The illustrated frame 12 is rectangular inshape and includes a pair of substantially parallel end plates 20 and apair of substantially parallel side channels 22 connecting therespective ends of the end plates 20. The side channels 22 are shorterin height than the end plates 20. An elongated stiffener 24 is securedto one or both of the end plates 20 to prevent the end plates frombuckling. The fork receiving pockets 14 each include apertures 26 formedin the end plates 20 and spaced suitable distances apart to allow theforks 19 of the lift truck 15 to enter. Where the apertures 26 arelocated in both end plates 20, the fork lift truck can approach and liftthe pallet from either of two opposing directions.

The form receiving pockets 14 further comprise elongated channels 29welded to the end plates 20 with internal openings in the channelsalignedwith the apertures 26 in opposite end plates 20. The aperturesand the channels are of suitable dimensions to receive the forks 19 ofthe lift truck 15. Each of the elongated channels 29 extendssubstantially perpendicular to the end plates 20 and substantiallyparallel to the rollers 16. This permits the pallet to be lifted andcarried in a direction parallel to the longitudinal dimension of thefork receiving channels and rotational axes of the rollers 16. It shouldbe noted that single pocket pallets may be provided when singleblade-type lift trucks are employed.

The channels 29 are substantially rectangular in cross-section and eachincludes a top wall 30,a bottom wall 32, and substantially parallelouter and inner side walls 34 and 36 connecting the top and bottomwalls. The walls may be reinforced adjacent one or both ends,

'if desired, and in some instances it may be advantageous to delete thebottom wall. Each fork of the truck used for lifting the pallet isreceived and is enclosed within the walls, with each fork 19 restingagainst the underside of the top wall 30 of its respective channel whenthe pallet is lifted. The flat top wall 30 has the additional functionof supporting the load. As aforesaid, the load preferably extendstransversely across the pallet. Therefore, the load is supported by thetwo fork receiving channels 29 and by the two rollers 16, but not by theside channels 22.

The ability to transfer the load 18 laterally from the pallet 10 isespecially advantageous when the load is extremely heavy or has beenstacked to a great height. In the first instance, the warehouseman maybe unable to push and slide a heavy load from an ordinary pallet. In thesecond instance, pushing a high stacked load from an ordinary pallet mayresult in the load tumbling to the floor because of the high frictionalresistance to sliding between the load and ordinary pallet. With thepallet 10, however, the load may be pushed with the rollers 16 turningas the load moves laterally. Also, the rollers 16 which support the loadmay be rotated to positively drive the load off the pallet into theselected space. I

Preferably, two rollers 16 are utilized to transfer the load 18 as apair of rollers provides positive traction and permits unloading ineither of two directions. Both of the rollers 16 are positioned in theframe 12 adjacent the respective outer side walls 34 of each of thechannels 29. The rollers are accordingly located at opposite lateraledges of the frame 12 and are positioned immediately within the sidechannels 22. Locating the rollers at the lateral edges of the palletensures the transfer of the entire load from the pallet. It should benoted, however, that one roller 16 may satisfactorily transfer a loadfrom the pallet. The rollers 16 are journalled in bearings 38 (FIG. 3)in the end plates 20 to permit nonbinding rotational movement of therollers. The rollers 16 may be provided with a friction-increasingsurface, such as rubber, to better engage and transfer the load.

To rotate the rollers 16 and thus discharge the load from the pallet 10,a drive system 40 may be employed. Preferably, the drive system 40 forthe rollers 16 is entirely independent of the lift truck so thatspecially designed fork lift trucks with extra drive mechanisms are notneeded nor are specially designed jigs required for use with the pallet10.

Preferably, the drive system 40 for the rollers is located externally ofthe rollers so that the drive system is not damaged when the pallet isbeing loaded and transported. The preferred external drive systempermits the individual pallets to be constructed simply and relativelyinexpensively. To this end, a squared-end trunnion 42 extends outwardlyfrom at least one end of each roller 16 beyond the respective end plate20. The trunnion 42 and its associated roller 16 are rotatable by aratchet-type wrench 44 having a socket 45 which receives the trunnion 42and which is operatively connected to an elongated handle 46. Rotationof the roller by the wrench 44 upon turning movement of the handle 46frictionally transfers the load supported by the roller from the pallet.The drive system may also comprise a ratchet wheel (not shown) mountedeither externally on or internally of the roller. In either case, asimple lever or handle 46 is used to rotate the roller. The wrench orsimple lever or handle employed to rotate the rollers can be mounteddirectly to the frame 12 or can be independent thereof. Alternatively,an electric motor can be mounted on the pallet for rotating the rollers16 through a gear train or other power transmission apparatus.

A detenting means orlock 48 is preferably provided at least at one endof each roller 16 for normally preventing the rollers from rotating andthereupon transferring the load from the pallet 10 while the pallet isbeing transported by the lift truck 15. At best seen in FIG. 3, theillustrated lock 48 includes a detent pawl 50 which is normally receivedin one of a plurality of grooves 52 formed in the outer surface of theadjacent roller 16. A torsion spring 54 biases the detent pawl into oneof the grooves. More specifically, the torsion spring 54 has one endfastened to the end plate 20 and its other end fastened to a shaft 55which is journalled for turning in the end plate 20. The shaft 55 isconnected to arm 56 of the detent pawl 50 and acts therethrough to biasthe pawl 50 into a groove 52. The arm 56 may be pulled outwardly awayfrom the end plate 20 with the torsion spring 54 being compressed andthe pawl 50 being moved outwardly from the grooves 52. The roller 16 isthus free for rotation by the drive system 40. The lock 48 is renderedinoperative by twisting the arm 56 when in its pulled out position suchthat the detent 50 rests on the outer sideof the end plate 20 and isspaced from the roller 16.

A brief description of a use of the pallet will now be given. After thepallet 10 has been loaded, the fork lift truck 15 is maneuvered suchthat its forks 19 are respectively positioned within the pockets 14. Thetruck lifts the pallet and proceeds down an aisle until the pallet,which is at its front end, is adjacent a space in a row of merchandise.It is unnecessary to maneuver the truck to place the pallet in thespace. The locks 48 are released, and then the drive system 40 isemployed to rotate the rollers 16 to transfer the load 18 from thepallet into a space, as shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, the load can beplaced in a space in the row of merchandise although the rowsare soclosely spaced that a standard industrial truck could not manipulatepalletized loads to place them directly into the selected locations.

It should be appreciated that the load couldalso be transferred from thepallet to a second pallet positioned in the space in the row. This makesit easier to remove the load from the space when it is desired to usethe merchandise. When employing a second pallet, the rollers of bothpallets are preferably rotated in the same direction to efficientlytransfer the load between the pallets. To return the load to a palletlocated in the aisle, the rollers of both pallets are rotated in thesame direction toward the aisle, whereupon the load is trans ferred ontothe pallet in the aisle.

Thus, the present invention provides an improved pallet for laterallytransferring a load therefrom and within a confined area.

While the pallet 10 has been described in connection with one use, as inconfined areas, the pallet maybe advantageously employed in a number ofother situations. For example, in a lumber yard, a stack of lumber maybe spanning spaced blocks with opposite ends resting on the blocks. Thepallet 10 carried by a lift truck 15 may be inserted into the spacebeneaththe stack and between the blocks and then the stack may be liftedfrom the blocks and transported on the pallet to another location atwhich the stack may be pushed from or driven from the pallet 10 withturning of the rollers 16.

The stack of lumber on the pallet 10 may be transferred in a lateraldirection to various receivers such as, for example, a conventionalsplit bed truck. This kind of truck is usually provided with a flat,generally horizontal bed having two sets of spaced apart, transverselyextending conveyor rollers. Each set of rollers form a roller conveyorwhich extends from the rear to the front of the truck bed. The truck bedmay be enclosed with doors at the end of the truck body through whichstacks of lumber may be loaded onto or unloaded from the conveyorrollers. A stack of lumber may be readily loaded onto or from the palletrollers 16 by raising the pallet to the height of the conveyor rollerson the truck bed with the axes of the pallet rollers 16 beingsubstantially parallel to the conveyor rollers. Then the load may betransferred with turning of the truck conveyor rollers (not shown) andthe pallet rollers 16.

While only two rollers 16 are shown on the illustrated pallet 10, it isto be understood other load supporting rollers could be added to andjournaled on the pallet frame to support the load at additional pointsor areas and to assist in the case of transfer of the load. Suchadditional rollers on the pallet could either be idler rollers which arenot driven as by the drive system 40; or, on the other hand, theadditional rollers on the pallet could be driven through gears or beltsto turn with the illustrated rollers 16 at the ends of the pallet. Inanother embodiment of the invention (which is not shown) sockets areformed in the ends of the roller shafts and the illustrated square-endtrunnions 42 projecting outwardly from the end plates 20 are eliminated.Instead, the projecting trunnions are on the wrench 44 for insertioninto the sockets formed in the ends of the rollers 16 to turn therollers and shift the load thereon. I

While one specific embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, it should be apparent that various modifications could bemade therein without departing from the scope of the invention. Forexample, a pair of rollers could be located at each side of the palletto transfer the load, especially-when the load is extremely heavy.

Various of the features of the invention are set forth in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A pallet for receiving the forks of a lift truck in a given directionand for transferring the load from the pallet in a direction lateral tothe given direction, said pallet comprising: a rectangular frame havinga pair of parallel end members and having a pair of parallel sidemembers joined at opposite ends thereof to said end members, said endmembers having spaced apertures therein to admit forks of a lift truck,a pair of elongated channels secured to said end members having internalopenings aligned with said apertures for receiving said forks of saidlift truck, a pair of rollers journaled centrally of the height of theend members for rotation about axes parallel to said side members forsupporting the load, means enabling drive of said rollers for rotatingthe same to transfer the load in the lateral direction, a ratchet meansassociated with each of said rollers, a pawl means engageable with saidratchet means to hold said ratchet means against turning, a biasingmeans urging said pawl means in a direction parallel to said axes toengage said ratchet means and thereby hold said rollers against turning,and means enabling shifting of said pawl means against the urging ofsaid biasing means and a turning thereof to an inoperative position toallow turning of said rollers by said means enabling driving of saidrollers.

2. A pallet in accordance with claim 1 in which said ratchet meanscomprises a plurality of axially extending slots formed in the end ofeach roller.

3. A pallet in accordance with claim 1 in which said channels areenclosed by a pair of top and bottom walls joined to a pair of sidewalls to enclose said forks, and elongated stiffeners are secured tosaid end members having the fork receiving apertures therein to stiffenthe same at said apertures.

1. A pallet for receiving the forks of a lift truck in a given directionand for transferring the load from the pallet in a direction lateral tothe given direction, said pallet comprising: a rectangular frame havinga pair of parallel end members and having a pair of parallel sidemembers joined at opposite ends thereof to said end members, said endmembers having spaced apertures therein to admit forks of a lift truck,a pair of elongated channels secured to said end members having internalopenings aligned with said apertures for receiving said forks of saidlift truck, a pair of rollers journaled centrally of the height of theend members for rotation about axes parallel to said side members forsupporting the load, means enabling drive of said rollers for rotatingthe same to transfer the load in the lateral direction, a ratchet meansassociated with each of said rollers, a pawl means engageable with saidratchet means to hold said ratchet means against turning, a biasingmeans urging said pawl means in a direction parallel to said axes toengage said ratchet means and thereby hold said rollers against turning,and means enabling shifting of said pawl means against the urging ofsaid biasing means and a turning thereof to an inoperative position toallow turning of said rollers by said means enabling driving of saidrollers.
 2. A pallet in accordance with claim 1 in which said ratchetmeans comprises a plurality of axially extending slots formed in the endof each roller.
 3. A pallet in accordance with claim 1 in which saidchannels are enclosed by a pair of top and bottom walls joined to a pairof side walls to enclose said forks, and elongated stiffeners aresecured to said end members having the fork receiving apertures thereinto stiffen the same at said apertures.